I dont have a Tablo yet, but I am trying to plan my layout. Here is my scenario, I have Time Warner currently (yep, they just went from 125 to 185 a month), and the better option for internet is to keep them on for the high speed. As part of the deal I have been told you need to, or get as a “effect” of having their internet, their basic cable tv service. Its either $15/30 month, and worth it so my wife can get her soap operas. This would give me my local channels. My question is will the Tablo interpret the TWC signals and give me them on the channel guide as if it were coming in off a HD antenna, or do I need to reroute them around the Tablo and let the TV/basic box handle them? I plan on 2 Roku 2s as the devices after the Tablo. We have 2 fixed tvs and a roamer laptop.
Currently Tablo is not compatible with cable at all. It will ONLY play content picked up by an ota antenna. If you are dead set on sticking with twc then you might want to just add an hd box if all you’re looking for is a guide.
Another suggestion is to see what channels you can get from an antenna, buy a tablo and ditch twc for TV all together. It’s likely that you can receive your wife’s soap opera through an antenna amongst many other programs you may not realize. I ditched time Warner earlier this year for TV programming and haven’t looked back. I still have their standard internet plan which is more than enough for streaming content through a roku and the price is $34.99/mo. It’s a promotion, but if you ask for it they’ll likely give it to you. If you don’t stream much and can get away with their everyday low price internet it’ll only cost $14.99/mo. indefinitely.
go to http://www.tvfool.com to see what channels you can receive over the air for FREE. Buy required antenna, connect it to your TV, and get the antenna aimed correctly. You also might look at http://www.antennaweb.org . Most likely you will be able to receive channels that are not on TW. Go to http://www.titantv.com and choose “Create a New Channel Lineup” and select “Broadcast” and enter your zip code. It will show you all the stations you can receive for FREE. I get around 15 channels if you don’t count the infomercial channels or the channels in Spanish. This one will show you the subchannels you will get in addition to the main channel numbers. After you get it all set up, then see about a DVR. If you get a Tablo, you will also need a hard disk, and a Roku or Firetv or other box to watch it. If you can wait, you might find good deals on Black Friday, but if you want it now, get it now. I receive ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX, MYTV, GetTV, MOVIES!, Justice Network, RETRO!, REVIN, MCCN, PBS, CREATE, PBS Q, others and two new stations will be coming soon COZI TV (when they get around to it), and Buzzr (June 1)
I just talked to a girl at work who has a Roku and she said she was getting a ton of channels OTA, way more than I thought. I thought since I was getting a free stream off the same TWC cable wire it would at least lock in my basic local channels even if I had to hardswitch out to get them. Thanks Kyle I need the same bandwidth you have, and tired of getting bent over by TWC, even if I have to keep their internet.